After receiving several requests we decided it was time to update our site. We have learned a lot over the past year and still have a lot left to learn! For those of you who are wondering, the No Trichs Trigger is still available and is still proving to be effective for those who have hung in there and continued using the Trigger.

Rhonda is still pull-free after over a year now and I had a set back but am pull-free again since 9/15/01. From the beginning Rhonda challenged herself to see how little she could use the Trigger and still remain pull-free. She used it daily in the beginning and then after the urge to pull decreased she used the Trigger less and less until she didn't have to use it anymore to remain pull-free.

I was at the opposite end of the spectrum. I used the Trigger daily, sometimes several times a day and remained pull-free for just over 9 months. Then the Trigger gradually quit decreasing my urge to pull and by last July I was pulling again, just like old times, and very disappointed. Rhonda advised me to quit using the Trigger for 90 days and then start up again, only this time use the Trigger sparingly. She was convinced I had over-used the Trigger and developed a high tolerance to the "zap". I had to agree as I had noticed that I didn't even feel the "zap" any more.

So, I put away my Trigger and tried to get along as good as I could by washing my hair a lot and keeping my hands busy. I failed miserably, of course, and by the time the upsetting Sept. 11, 01 attacks occurred I had pulled out roughly 1/3 of the hair on my scalp. I was supposed to wait until the end of September to start using the Trigger again, but all of the terrible news of the days after the attack got to me and I couldn't wait any longer. So on Sept. 15, 01 I picked up my Trigger again and gave it a try and, just like my first experience with the Trigger, I stopped pulling immediately. (Huge sigh of relief!) I have followed Rhonda's instructions on how to use the Trigger sparingly and have been pull-free once again for over 4 months. I now use the Trigger about once a week if even that and hope to use it even less in the future.

Some tips that Rhonda had for me on how she used the Trigger are:

• Only use the Trigger every day for the first week.
• Use the Trigger on the neck area even if you don't pull form there. (Not sure why this works, but it really does!)
• Don't use the Trigger just because it's been a while since you last used it. Wait until you feel the urges to pull coming on or you find yourself touching your hair more than normal.

Some things we have learned about the Trigger in the last year:

• It does not seem to work at all on those who wear wigs.
• The Trigger does not seem to work too well for those on meds for TTM.
• There has been very little success with lash-pullers who have tried the Trigger.
• Brow pullers have seen a little more success than lash-pullers but still not very much.
• Are biggest success ratio has been with scalp pullers. There is a group of 8 scalp pullers who are still pull-free after using the Trigger. Their ages ranging from 12 to 47, but we are not at liberty to release their names for privacy reasons. We really believe there are more out there that this method will work for, too.

We just really want people to know that the more information we get the better. We have noticed people are very apprehensive to state if it works or doesn't work. The people that it doesn't work for are almost more important to hear from than the one it does work for! This is totally confidential so no one will know and no one can belittle you for it. If the Trigger does not seem to work for you just let us know it isn't and we will troubleshoot and/or return it for a refund.

We are both suffers of TTM ourselves and both in remission from using the Trigger. We are just trying to find out more about why some have better success than others using the Trigger. We are seeing some attention from the medical community on this and the more information we can share with them, the more likely they will take a closer look at the Trigger as another tool in managing TTM.

Mary Beth Ripley

Disclaimer: This Novelty Product is not a medical device. No health or medical claims are expressed or implied. The No Trichs Trigger is for experimental use only. Not to be used on the eyes, by people wearing pace-makers, people with seizure related disorders or pregnant women.